Not so Cheap. TV Smith and the best band you never saw

Possibly the hardest working man in Punk, TV Smith has been an integral part of the British music scene for over forty years. His assault on the charts began with The Adverts, the early punk innovators, who upended the charts with Gary Gilmores Eyes, before morphing into TV Smith’s Explorers with the sublimely wonderful Tomahawk Cruise, before, well, basically disappearing into a black hole for a number of years before re-emerging as a solo performer, being the subject of a BBC documentary, and gigging almost non-stop across Europe.

Courtney Barnett. Gumboots and Glastonbury

“It’s all been a bit of a blur, there have been constant new experiences every day.”

Melbourne based songwriter, record label owner and hobby gardener, Courtney Barnett is reflecting on how her life has changed in the last year. From recording her first ep with friend Brent DeBoer from the Dandy Warhols (another resident of Melbourne) to playing Glastonbury, life has not been boring.

The end of the Armoury Show

I had met up with the Armoury Show a couple of years earlier, and had an interview published. I loved the bands music and decided I would like to do a follow up. That is when the problems began, the interview had been postponed several times. I finally got it confirmed with the labels Press officer to happen on the same day of a gig at the London Astoria in early March 1987.

Coconut palms, buckets of kava and reggae beats - Fest Napuan Review

I was in Vanuatu when the Fest Napaun takes over Port Vila. This has to be one of the best music festivals in the world. Attracting local and international acts, the atmosphere of this festival is unforgettable. Entrance is always free, and the locals converge on Saralana park (next to the Cultural centre and museum). Stalls are erected selling food from different islands, the Tanna bread cakes are particularly recommended, while Kava is brought in buckets from the Chiefs Nakamal.

Straitjacket Fits. Life in Four Chords.

There is something about New Zealand bands. Maybe it is due to the remote location causing them to work harder to get noticed, or maybe it is something in the water, either way bands like 'The Chills' and 'The Verlaines' were rarely absent from my turntable for long.

The Bolshoi. Performing third on the bill to a band you hate is not that bad

I had seen The Bolshoi perform third on the bill to 'The Addicts' at the 100 Club in Oxford St, London. This was one of their very first gigs, and the punk audience did not take to them at all. I did, I liked their songs and the way their lead singer, Trevor Tanner, put down hecklers with abuse laced with camp humour. One woman was so upset at the put down that she had to be physically restrained by her partner from attacking Trevor.

On the beach with the Hoodoo Gurus

Seeing the Hoodoo Gurus at the Bristol Locarno was one of my first ever gigs. No checking of ID’s ensured I could sneak into the 18+ venue on a school night and hang off the balcony listening to an aural barrage of guitar, bass and drums. I had no idea how loud a gig could be.